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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: capital · press · vault · stick · cell · bear

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. bear — the animal
  5. cell — a phone
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. vault — a safe
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. capital — money
  10. bear — the animal
  11. cell — in biology
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. press — to push
  14. press — a publisher
  15. capital — a city
  16. press — newspapers
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. cell — in a prison

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com